I just read a really good article on the Web that, of course, I didn’t bookmark and can’t find again, on the new fad of being gluten-free. Alas, it triggered memories of what I call “Signature Ailments and Cures” across the many decades I have been a resident of this big blueberry in sky.

When I was a child, I watched a kiddie show hosted by Captain Kangaroo (Bob Keeshum). His sidekick was farmer/handyman, Mr. Green Jeans (Hugh Brannum). Green Jeans was the voice of natural healthiness. I would sit on the floor, in front of our black and white TV, munching on my Skippy peanut butter and Welches’ grape jelly sandwich on fluffy Wonder Bread, totally ignoring what he was saying about “eat your vegetables.”

It seems that in the era following the 1970s, we have sent Mr. Green Jeans into the looking glass and our ideas about health are as convoluted and twisted as Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum dancing with the Mad Hatter. We have food fads, gourmet illnesses, food cures that seem like they must have come from outer space, and strange beliefs about will give us everlasting health and vitality.

In the 1970s and ’80s, the big, must-have ailment was hypoglycemia. Recently, the low- or no-fat fad claimed our attention. A silver medal goes to the acid/alkaline cure for everything that ails us. And, let us not forget the low-carb frenzy. I’m sure I’m forgetting one or two other fads. Oh, yes, sleep apnea is another one that is popular now. I could also include Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), although it isn’t dietary. Or is it? Some people think it is a result of the cargo-load of crappy food that kids eat these days. No comment. That’s another rant entirely.

The point is that some of these “ailments” have a legitimate basis in truth. Hypoglycemia—chronically low blood sugar, for example is a recognized medical problem. It is primarily related to deficient glucose in brain, and it is treatable. Continue reading →